<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The article begins by noting a discrepancy between systematic-theological discourse of God, which speaks of ideal qualities, and biblical discourse of God, which does not refrain from associating God with evil, and analyzes this in more detail in a first section. The argument then turns to biblical texts and establishes that, especially where hopes rest on Yhwh as the only God, the authors of biblical texts seem to assume that God is also behind evil. Since most of the texts that see evil together with God are fictional narratives, the lessons drawn are pragmatic in the sense that they are warnings against abuse of power (Saul), aggression and attempts at destruction (Noah and Jonah) and insight into the background of evil (evil spirit, Satan, human culpability, omnipotence and uniqueness) rather than systematic considerations of the attributes of God.</p>
</abstract>

The article begins by noting a discrepancy between systematic-theological discourse of God, which speaks of ideal qualities, and biblical discourse of God, which does not refrain from associating God with evil, and analyzes this in more detail in a first section. The argument then turns to biblical texts and establishes that, especially where hopes rest on Yhwh as the only God, the authors of biblical texts seem to assume that God is also behind evil. Since most of the texts that see evil together with God are fictional narratives, the lessons drawn are pragmatic in the sense that they are warnings against abuse of power (Saul), aggression and attempts at destruction (Noah and Jonah) and insight into the background of evil (evil spirit, Satan, human culpability, omnipotence and uniqueness) rather than systematic considerations of the attributes of God.

Wenn das Böse von Gott kommt…

Review of Ecumenical Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Wenn das Böse von Gott kommt\u2026"}

The article begins by noting a discrepancy between systematic-theological discourse of God, which speaks of ideal qualities, and biblical discourse of God,...

Wenn das Böse von Gott kommt…

Published Online: Jul 18, 2024

Page range: 24 - 35

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ress-2024-0003

Keywords
Evil, Satan, Omnipotence, Saul, Creation, Noah, Job, Extermination of Humanity, Jonah, Image of God

© 2024 Johannes Klein, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Wenn das Böse von Gott kommt…

Published Online: Jul 18, 2024

Page range: 24 - 35

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ress-2024-0003

KeywordsEvil, Satan, Omnipotence, Saul, Creation, Noah, Job, Extermination of Humanity, Jonah, Image of God

© 2024 Johannes Klein, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Evil, Satan, Omnipotence, Saul, Creation, Noah, Job, Extermination of Humanity, Jonah, Image of God